Alexander’s POVI entered the ballroom looking for Patrick, but couldn't find him or Rick anywhere. Damn! Everything was spinning! I needed to get out of there. I decided to go to my office and lie down for a while.I started making my way across the ballroom, greeting some people with a nod. Then I felt arms around my waist and a sickeningly sweet perfume. Before I knew it, Anna was dragging me through the ballroom, chatting with people. But I was so dizzy, so drunk again, that I couldn't even break free from her.She pulled me out of the ballroom and started kissing me. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't let go, and I didn't have enough strength to push her away. She called the elevator and pushed me inside."Alex, I can see you're drunk. Let's go to your office, you can rest a bit, have some water, and then we'll go back," she said in that awful screeching voice of hers."Anna, let go of me, I need to find Patrick," I slurred."How about this - you go to your office, and I'll loo
"Good morning, beautiful Cat!" Melissa walked into the kitchen in her pajamas, bubbling with excitement. "And is the most beautiful baby in the world already awake?" she asked, planting a kiss on my son's forehead."I wake up early, godmother," Peter replied with his unique morning enthusiasm."Good morning, Mel. All this joy is because Fred's coming today, right?" I asked, laughing at my friend dancing around the kitchen."Oh, Cat, my sweetheart arrives today, and I'm dying to see him!" She batted her eyelashes dramatically, placing her hands over her heart."Well then, let's have breakfast, get ready, and go prepare his apartment for his arrival," I said, happy for my friend.After breakfast, we walked to the apartment Fred had bought, which was conveniently close to ours. Mel had spent the week coordinating furniture and appliance deliveries, and we'd planned to come today to put everything in place and do a thorough cleaning.Lygia stayed with Peter in our apartment - I didn't want
Samantha approached with a huge smile."How are you guys?" She asked cheerfully. "Catherine, you have to come into the store, we just got a dress that's absolutely perfect for you! Please!""Oh, we're definitely going in, I'm already curious," Melissa said, pulling me into the store.The saleswoman brought the dress in a garment bag. It was an evening dress, bright red, short, with straps, a V-neckline, and a deep back that plunged to the base of the spine. It was sexy, and I was amazed by it."Fitting room now, Catherine," Melissa ordered."Mel, I don't even go out at night. Where would I wear a dress like this?" I asked, trying to resist the dress."Fred's coming back today, and I'm going to tell him to take us dancing next week. Come on." My friend was in boss mode."Since you already have plans, I'll bring you a stunning dress too, Melissa," the saleswoman said excitedly, and Melissa clapped her hands.I went into the fitting room and put on that tiny dress, shocked by how little f
Peter and I were playing with the building blocks he got from Alexander. He had grown very attached to this toy. We were already dressed and waiting for Mel and Fred to arrive so we could meet Mariana at the restaurant."Mommy, is Alexander coming to play with me today?" my son asked while stacking two little blocks."No, sweetie, not today. Today we're having lunch with Aunt Mari because she's going on a trip."I heard the door open and my friends came in laughing. Peter rushed into Fred's arms. We chatted for a while there before heading out to meet Mari. On the way, Fred and Peter made plans to go to the mall in the afternoon.We arrived at the restaurant and were shown to our table. Mari arrived shortly after."Finally, I get to meet the perfect boyfriend!" Mari teased, looking at Mel who was smiling like a lovesick puppy."Oh, Mari, my prince is perfect, just look at him." Mel gushed over her boyfriend.We laughed as Fred turned red and stood up politely to introduce himself. We o
Alexander’s POVPatrick and I took Mari to the airport. I felt a certain melancholy about her departure. This woman was like a mother to me and had been by my side my entire life. I would miss her, which is why I arranged for her to spend one week per month here with us."Alexander, I had lunch with Catherine and Melissa today," Mari said, holding my arm. "Peter sent you a message.""Oh really, Mari? I'm so fond of that kid! What did he want you to tell me?" I said, smiling because my little friend had remembered me."He said he wants you to come play with him," Mari relayed the message, making my smile grow even wider. "Boy, Cat is really hurt, but don't give up on her."I hugged Mari and assured her I wouldn't give up. Mari told us she met Melissa's boyfriend and that he's a good guy, and she told us about the lunch and how my Catherine was doing. I was going crazy missing her. It has been two days since I've heard anything from her.Mari boarded her flight and Patrick and I left the
Alexander’s POVI arrived early at the office today. The audit is going well, and the report I received today already indicated some suspicions. Of course, it didn’t surprise me that Johnson appeared among the names of potential fraudsters - I've been suspicious of him for a long time.I turned off my laptop and locked it in the safe. I was being very careful with the information I was receiving, so I changed the safe's combination and kept everything there. Before leaving, I would take everything home with me.I spent the rest of the morning taking care of my work. Patrick came to my office asking me to go to lunch. But first, I decided to send a message to my love, so I took my phone and typed:"I fell asleep with the taste of your kiss, dreamed about you all night, and now my heart aches missing you. I love you, Catherine. Forgive me!"I sent the message and put the phone in my pocket, heading to the elevator with Patrick. When we reached the ground floor, just as we passed through
Alexander’s POVAfter talking to Henry, I was thinking about the best way to convince Melissa to help me. Then I remembered her boyfriend. The best way to reach Melissa would be through him. They were Catherine's best friends, and I needed them to trust that I was their friend's happiness.I grabbed my phone and dialed the number Henry had given me. She answered quickly."Hello?""Hi, Melissa. How are you? This is Alexander Miller. Can I talk to you for a minute?"I heard a sigh before she spoke."Alexander. How did you get my number?""I'm a businessman, Melissa. I have ways of getting any information I want.""Too bad you couldn't get the information that Cat never cheated on you before trashing her, huh!"Damn cheeky girl! Henry warned me about this."I bitterly regret that, Melissa.""Yeah, right. So, Alexander, let's be clear with each other? Don't try to sweet-talk me because I know exactly what you want, and the answer is no, I won't help you get Cat's forgiveness.""I know," I
Alexander’s POVI was anxious. After dinner, Melissa told me to keep making my presence known by sending small gifts and messages, and calling persistently. She said this way Catherine would notice that I was paying attention to her.She also assured me that she would find a way for me to meet Catherine and would give me tips on how to earn my beloved's forgiveness.I had another tulip arrangement delivered to Catherine's house. Melissa told me she loved the flowers and their meaning, so I should send an arrangement every week.I decided to send good morning and good night messages every day, as well as afternoon snacks for both of them at the company. Melissa informed me that Catherine had made a friend in her department, so I started sending something for that girl too - one more person to intercede for me.I began sending messages at different times of the day and called her three times every day. Since she never answered, I would leave three voicemails, always saying how sorry I wa
Samantha’s POVI was relieved to see my mother was okay. It was incredibly lucky that Enzo ran into her - one of those things that nobody can explain, where some call it luck and others divine providence. But I can definitely say this kid saved me again. After they told everything that happened at the mall and Henry confirmed that the Nicole who was with my mother was the same Nicole who was his ex-girlfriend, everything made sense.And we were heading to the police station - my mother, Enzo, Henry, and me. Honestly, I just wanted to go home, but Flavian asked us to come there, so there was no way around it."Henry, why did Flavian ask us to go to the police station?" I asked, still not accepting that I couldn't go home."Sam, you were the victim of Romulus's setup. It was a fake kidnapping, true, but clearly intended to force you to go to him. Plus, your mother's phone was stolen and used for this." Henry repeated the same thing, but I felt he was hiding something from me."I want to
Flavian’s POVI had to say, this raid on Pipote Hill was only supposed to serve three arrest warrants for homicide, but it turned into a complete mess. Three drug dealers dead and two cops wounded, all because they wouldn't let us in. It was all because of that punk Sandro who decided to set up a drug spot here. I only decided to serve these warrants personally snice one of them was Sandro's drug spot manager, and I wanted information about this Romulus guy.At least no civilians were hit. People keep talking about stray bullets, but there was no such thing - there are only bullets that find their targets, and innocent people became those targets, which really upsets me. But fortunately, this time no innocent civilians were shot. Though one of the subjects named in the warrants died - he was one of Sandro's soldiers. We arrested the other two. That was six fewer criminals on the streets."Let's move out, team!" called the military police sergeant who came to support us. "Detective, I t
Samantha’s POVI was getting increasingly nervous. As the car moved toward my destination, I felt more helpless, scared, and distressed. The taxi driver, a very kind gentleman, watched me through the rearview mirror while keeping his eyes on traffic. He drove slowly and carefully, perhaps due to his age, making sure not to cause any accident.My phone rang and I grabbed it from my purse - it was Enzo. I couldn't answer him, I just couldn't. But he persisted. He always did, and I always answered. I thought it through - if I didn't answer, it would raise suspicions. Sure, Michael must have returned to the company, but he probably thought I was in another department and wouldn't be alarmed yet. Maybe he was still looking for me inside the building. So, it was better to answer Enzo.When he told me he was with my mother, I couldn't believe it. Then he put her on the line, and I heard her voice. I couldn't hold back anymore, started crying, and explained that Romulus had called me from her
Enzo’s POVBeing a student was getting harder and harder. The English teacher decided to make us read a book that was almost impossible to find. I had to trek all the way across town because out of all the bookstores in the malls, only this one had it. Everyone was complaining that they couldn't buy the book because they couldn't find it. I spent two days on the phone and finally tracked it down. So I rushed to secure my copy to avoid getting a zero on the test that the teacher had already warned us about.But since I was at the mall, I might as well take a little walk around. I bought the book first - I had reserved it, but you never know if someone might accidentally sell my copy, so I went to the bookstore first. When I left, I was walking through the food court when I spotted Aunt Pearl at a café nearby. I had to say hello."What a coincidence! Aunt Pearl, how are you?" I approached and noticed she was with a younger woman who was pretty but strange-looking."Enzo, darling, what a
Samantha’s POVMy bachelorette party was the most fun event I'd ever been to, despite the snake incident. Erica and Emilia had really outdone themselves. However, it wasn't as enjoyable for Henry, who was tense and worried when he came to pick me up.At home, he told me about his suspicion that Isabella had sent the snake, and I was surprised - I hadn't thought that insufferable woman would be so brazen.We spent Sunday at home, resting and just enjoying each other's company. It was nice to have that peaceful moment with him, knowing the upcoming week would be hectic with wedding preparations, even though everything was already set.This week, I needed to get ahead with all my work since I'd be on my honeymoon with Henry the following week. Starting Thursday, I wouldn't be working as I'd be at the beach house overseeing all the wedding setup. I was so busy that during lunch, I just had a quick snack while working and turned Manu away when she came for afternoon coffee.Then my phone st
Romulus’s POVLittle Samantha must have been crazy if she thought she could ghost me like that. I've called several times and she won't answer, where could she be hiding? I needed to teach her a lesson, but this week I couldn't put my plan into action since Sandro needed me to check the accounts at his drug spot.Sandro wanted me to move to the hill, but to be honest, I preferred little Nicole's apartment, it was better located. But there's no way around it, I made a deal with him and he was the boss. He only gave me one more week to sort things out with little Samantha.I would use this week to resolve my situation with little Samantha and deal with little Nicole too. I was running out of patience with her, but it had to look like an accident, after all, she's Sandro's sister. I was going to do the job and blame the old man, but the idiot got arrested and was even trying to go back on our deal. He wanted little Samantha all to himself - that was pure greed.But little Nicole was still
Henry’s POVI arrived at the Social Club with Edward and Enzo. The guys had reserved a room there and they'd gone all out - they'd set up a room with a pool table, poker table, and arcade games, leather sofas scattered around, and a 1950s-style bar stocked with every kind of drink. This was going to be fun and relaxing."So, ready for your last bachelor party bender?" Patrick asked as soon as I arrived."I thought this day would never come." Alexander approached and handed me a glass.Only then did I notice they were all wearing the same t-shirt - a black one with a cartoon of me being dragged by a rope tied to my foot by a cartoon of Sam, with "game over" written below. These guys were acting like kindergarteners.As if the t-shirts weren't enough, they had prepared several activities, and they all involved lots of alcohol. I probably wouldn't remember my own name the next day.I was already slightly drunk when I saw Flavian answer a call and slip out of the room. When he came back, h
Samantha’s POVThe plans for the night were explained, and the girls decided to start the games. Soon we were all seated, and a bowl with folded papers was placed in front of me."Let's start with the lingerie, everyone grabs your box," Erica said, kicking things off."Okay, Sam, you'll draw a paper and read what's written. To win the gift, you have to guess who experienced the situation described in the paper. If you guess wrong, you'll have to share a situation that happened to you. When you open the present, you'll keep your eyes closed and feel around to figure out what it is. Got it?" Emilia explained the rules of the game."Oh my god! Alright, let's begin," I said and drew the first paper. "On my first time, my boyfriend and I watched some movies to learn because it was his first time too. When we tried to do a position we saw in a movie, I accidentally kicked him in the face, and he fell off the bed and broke his nose. I ended the night still a virgin and in a hospital making up
Samantha’s POVThe week had finally ended, and it had been exhausting. Romulus kept calling and threatening me, but Flavian said the wiretap was active and they were gathering lots of evidence, including proof of other crimes Romulus was committing, so he'd be arrested again soon. But it was horrible to keep getting his calls and hearing threats, not knowing what to expect.As if that wasn't enough, ever since he found out that Edward's sisters were organizing my bachelorette party, Henry had been pestering me to know what they had planned, why I'd let them organize the party, and if there would be any kind of wild rituals, as he put it. I assured him I knew nothing about it, but that he shouldn't worry. However, he kept suggesting every five minutes that we should ditch our friends and family and spend time just the two of us. He was driving me crazy with this whole thing, but I wouldn't budge - I was having my bachelorette party, and it would be fun, he'd just have to deal with it.I